Spanish Media Hails Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat as ‘New Busquets’

The Spanish sport daily Mundo Deportivo has heaped praise on Sofyan Amrabat, describing the Moroccan midfielder as the worthy successor to Sergio Busquets and the most likely to replace the revered Spanish midfielder at FC Barcelona.

Rabat – The Spanish sport daily Mundo Deportivo has heaped praise on Sofyan Amrabat, describing the Moroccan midfielder as the worthy successor to Sergio Busquets and the most likely to replace the revered Spanish midfielder at FC Barcelona.

Since the end of the 2022 World Cup, with rumors having it that the Moroccan midfielder would depart from ACF Fiorentina, his name has been strongly linked to Barcelona.

Amrabat, whose contract with Fiorentina ends in June 2024, was on the verge of packing his bags to Catalonia in the last winter transfer window. While reports suggested that Amrabat was excited to join Barcelona, the deal did finally not go through as Fiorentina ultimately rejected the Spanish club’s offer for their star midfielder.

At the time, the Barca management had requested that the player be loaned with an option to buy between 35 and 40 million, bonus included, the Spanish sport daily Marca reported.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Moroccan midfielder remains Barcelona coach Xavi’s favorite to replace Busquets because of his unique combination of physical solidity, technical prowess, and tactical awareness.

The player’s agent, Mohamed Sinouh, said in April that Sofyan Amrabat has a way out of Fiorentina for next summer. As he only has one year left on his contract with the Italian club, Sinouh argued, Amrabat would be the most viable economic option for FC Barcelona, which he still dreams of joining.

Amrabat’s eye-catching contributions to Morocco’s historic journey at the 2022 Qatar World Cup put him on the radar of many elite European clubs. According to reports, it was his commanding presence in Morocco’s midfield during the World Cup that convinced FC Barcelona to switch interest from Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi to the Moroccan footballer.

With Barca legend Sergio Busquets’ contract expiring next summer, the Catalonian club finds itself in need of reinforcing its midfield by recruiting the “most preferred alternative” Amrabat to the Catalan squad, converging Spanish outlets have indicated.